The agricultural journalist’s day in Argentina is approaching, and with the approaching anniversaries, I enter into a mode of reflection and gratitude for the people and opportunities that life has put in my way and how they have shaped my present.
For some weeks now, everything has been leading me to analyze why I chose to do it, and how it was that from all that there is to choose from in the great Argentinean farm, I stayed in the dairy industry.
Being an agri journalist means for me to be able to contribute to the greatness of my country,
pushing on the same side of its most productive sector, working to let society know what agriculture does and how, because as I heard a few days ago: “there is no country without the farm, let alone a country against the farm”.
It means working on repairing the link between the urban and the rural, going out to fight post-truth, revaluing the figure of farmers, reassuring those who think that things are done badly in the farm that they are working responsibly, producing safe food, caring for the environment and taking care of animal welfare.
It turns out that dairy farming brings together the most beautiful aspects of agriculture and livestock farming, and when I got to know it, I knew it was my place. Also, because I believe deeply, as a consumer and as a mother, in the fruit of its production.
Milk, the most perfect, most complete and most versatile food ever designed, was created by nature in a mother’s womb, milk to which we were able to adapt on our way to adulthood, to take from it the germ of our evolution.
Every week I talk to you about the health benefits of milk and dairy consumption, but this time it is difficult to abstract from the numbers that dairy means for the country’s economy.
The Argentine dairy complex grew 22.5% in the first half of the year due to dairy exports, which means an increase in foreign currency income to the country. An increase of U$S 349 million with respect to the first half of 2019. The growth is also huge with respect to the other sectors that make up the manufactures of agricultural origin, and the dairy sector is expected to be the one with the largest expansion by 2031.
However, in the month of July, dairy farms milked 1% less liters of milk compared to the same month last year, the second consecutive drop. Drought and high costs are impacting the sector.
Since May there has been a slowdown in the year-on-year growth of production and weather conditions, production costs and prices in both the domestic and foreign markets (low prices, lower consumption, falling international prices, exchange rate delays and withholdings) make it difficult to predict the behavior of production until the end of the year.
On the other hand, some long-awaited meetings are approaching. This Thursday, September 1st at the Metropolitan Center of Rosario, the Observatory of the Argentine Dairy Chain (OCLA) and the Foundation for the Promotion and Development of the Argentine Dairy Chain (FunPEL) will gather the entire dairy arc in the 5th Outlook of the Argentine Dairy Chain.
We will share experiences and productive knowledge, trends in the International Dairy Market, we will talk about the Argentine Dairy in figures, the Dairy Chain towards 2030, the Human Factor, Animal Welfare and the Environment, and the new ways in which Production and Industry are related.
Dairy is a big family in Argentina. Milk production is complex and beautiful. Let’s celebrate and support it. It is this way.
I am already on the road, milk bottle in hand, traveling to Santa Fe, a producer province par excellence, to reinforce my vocation and to know and learn much more about the wonderful world of dairy farming. In the meantime, have you had your glass of milk today? Don’t forget: Dairy consumption is good for you!
Valeria Guzmán Hamann
EDAIRYNEWS
